Zum Löwen, Tesimo (Gasthof Löwenwirt)
Tucked into the wine-village of Tesimo (Tisens) above the Adige valley, Gasthof Löwenwirt has been feeding travellers since the 15th century and still cooks the kind of deeply rooted South Tyrolean food that urban restaurants spend years trying to replicate. The wood-panelled Stube, antler chandeliers and impeccable local wine list make it a pilgrimage for serious eaters.
What to Order
Begin with a platter of home-cured Speck IGP — sliced paper-thin, served with sourdough rye and a smear of fresh horseradish — alongside a glass of chilled Pinot Bianco from the estate vineyards visible through the window. The Speck here is air-dried for a minimum of 22 weeks in the mountain breeze and the difference from supermarket versions is immediate.
For a main, the Schlutzkrapfen (half-moon pasta filled with spinach and sheep's ricotta, finished in brown butter and poppy seeds) is the dish to order, followed by venison goulash with Serviettenknödel (bread dumplings steamed in a cloth) if the season is right. Dessert is invariably Apfelstrudel made with local Gravensteiner apples, served warm with vanilla sauce.
The Wine and the Setting
The Alto Adige wine list leans heavily on the estate's own Vernatsch (Schiava), a light, cherry-scented red that pairs beautifully with the game dishes and is rarely exported in good form — drinking it here, in the valley where it has been grown for centuries, is the point. The sommelier is disarmingly knowledgeable and happy to pour small tastes before you commit.
Tesimo itself is a 20-minute drive north of Bolzano through apple orchards and terraced vineyards; the drive alone, especially in October when the orchards are heavy with fruit, justifies the detour. Book a table in advance — the Stube holds only 30 covers and fills with locals most evenings.
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